Head for automatic connecters



A. A. LECLERC Original Filed August 21, 1920 34 /l'ff 38 I. 57' 38 1f IIWENTUR a3 2 fij MM Wwwa Patented Nov. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT orFlcE.

ALBERT ALCIDE LEGLERC. OF \VESTMOUNT, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH ROBINSON, OF MORBISTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

HEAD FOR AUTOMATIC CONNECTERS Original application filed August 21, 1920, Serial No. 405,200, and in Canada June 24, 1920.

and this application filed October 21, 1920, Serial No. 418,401. Renewed April 19, 1926.

This invention relates to automatic train pipe connectors of the general type covered by my previous application for Letters Patent of the United States for automatic train pipe connecters, filed August 21. 1920, Se-

rial No. 405,200, and of which application this is a division.

The subject-matter of this description has particular reference to heads for automatic connectors with respect to the pipe couplings or nipples. and also as to the relation between the resilient couplings and the resilient means for supporting the head as a whole.

More specifically stated among the primary objects of this invention are the following: first. to provide a means to prevent any possibility of leakage at any point where one connector head abuts against the mating head of an adjacent car; secondly, to provide improved means for securing one or more nipples or conduits in or to a head in such a manner as to enable a nipple to be easily removed through the back of 25 the head whether or not the head is connected to a mating head; thirdly, to provide a conne'cter head having one or more nipplies reliably held therein but removable from the head by the use of no other tool than a hammer or mallet, and also replaceable by a similar means, and fourthly to provide general improvements in connecter heads with respect to reliability of action, durability in service. and simplicity of construction.

l/Vith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the inven tion is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein. still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings. in which like reference characters designate the same parts in. the several views. and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of my improved connector heads and the resilient supporting means therefor.

Divided Fig. 2 isa front elevation of the head.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3-3 of'Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a slight modification of coupling nipple.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings I show at 12 a relatively fixed rigid support with which there co-operates a rigid member 14 and to the front end of which my improved head 23 is attached in any suitable manner. The member 14 is a yoke having two parallel arms embracing the opposite sides of the socket portion 13 of the bracket and adapted to rock up and down between the pairs of knife edges 43, and at the same time the head and yoke are adapted to swing freely laterally around said socket member, except as soon to be noted. 17 is a coil spring of the contractile type whose front end is screwed into the socket member 13 and there gripped by means of a clamping bolt 28 passing through the lip portions 27 of the bottom of the bracket. The other end of the spring 17 is a hook 18 interlocked with the crotch portion of the yoke by means of key 20. This spring has suflicient stiffness to extend rearward from the bracket in substantially a horizontal direction, and through said conne tion with the voke it tends to hold the yoke horizontal and with the face of the head substantially vertical. but permitting the head to move laterally and up or down as mav be necessarv to effect the connection therewith. of another head and to accommodate the connection between adjacent cars to all ir regularities encountered alone: the railway. The head and yoke are held forward according to the distance the spring screwed through the bracket. and when adjacent cars are coupled the head and its yoke are moved rearward, stretching the spring 17. the contractile force of which serves to hold the two mating heads in engagement.

Each head is provided on. opposite sides and above and below its center with a pair of gathering guides 24'. The front ends of the yoke arms are shown being deflected upward and downward respectively and sooured to the head in the region of the guides as by means of set screws 25. A cross bar 22 extends between the arms of the yoke i l. stiffening the same laterally and serving as a positive stop to limit the rearward reciprocation of the head with respect to the brz cket, said stop bolt being adapted to strike against the bracket in the event of an abnormal strain or pressure being brought against the head.

Adjacent to the front face of the head there is provided a flange or shoulder and surrounding the front end of a horizontal bore 29 formed directly through the head for each pipe coupling, it being understood that each head may have any suitable num ber of such couplings depending upon the type of cars being connected. The bore 29 is smooth as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and is of uniform cross section all the way from the back of the head to the flange 30. Fitted in said bore is a coupling nipple or conduit 32 having at its front end a shoulder or enlargement 31 adapted for slidable fit in said smooth bore and to bear against the flange 30 while the front end of the nipple projects slightly beyond the face of the head at 31. The main portion of the nipple is spaced inward from the wall of the bore 29., and in said space and surrounding the nipple is an expansion coil spring 33, one end of which bears against the shoulder 31, and the other end bears against a collar or abutment 3 L slidable into the head and fitted in the space between the nipple and the atoresaid smooth bore and having interlocking connection with the head.

As shown in Figs. 3 and a this connection between the collar 34 and the head is of fected through one or more lugs 35 projecting radially outward from the collar and co operating in bayonet slots 36 formed in a hub portion 37 of the back of the head. lVhile I show two of the lugs 35 for each collar only one might be used. The slot 36 is mainly spiral in form but after passing forward into the hub 37 it returns slightly rearward at 37 forming a pocket into which the lug is positively held by the force of the spring, thus preventing accidental loosening of the collar. The rear end of the nipple is exteriorly threaded, but sufficiently reduced in diameter to permit the collar to slip freely thereover. The threaded end of the nipple is adapted for the attachment of any suitable type or structure of air or steam hose. Any suitable design or structure of gaskets 38 may be provided for the front end of the nipple so as to make a reliable air or steam joint. The amount of compression put upon the spring 33 in the normal assembled position of the parts as shown in Fig. 4; is not very great,only

slightly greater than sufficient to hold the lugs 35 in the pockets 37 and the shoulder 31 against the flange 30. The spring 33, however. is still enough to insure proper contact between mating gaskets 3S, and on the other hand, the combined force of all of the springs 33 in the same head will never be sullicient to interfere with the necessary strength of the main spring 17, relied upon to hold the heads properly interlocked.

The manner of assembling the parts shown in Figs. 3 and is substantially as follows: The sleeve with the spring 33 surrounding it, and the collar 3 L also surrounding the sleeve and bearing against the spring, will be ipped bodily into the bore 29 until the lugs 35 reach the outer ends of the slots 36. At this moment the shoulder 31 will be spaced reaiwvard from the flange 30 almost far as is represented by the distance of the pockets 3'? from the rear edge of the head hub 37. The operator will then continue the forward movement of the sleeve and will impart a rotation to the collar 3a while the lugs 35 move in a spiral direction along the slots 30. Just before the lugs reach the crests or highest points of the rear walls of the slots, the shoulder 31 will strike against the flange 30 requiring, therefore, that the operator will use some force, compressing the spring 33, while he drives the lugs over said crests and into the pockets. which force may be applied by the use of a hammer or other similar tool. It will thus be seen that only a moderate amount of compression of the spring is necessary to either assemble or disassemble these parts.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 is not vastly different from that of Fig. T. and the method of assemblage likewise is almost the same. In this figure the gasket 38 is of a self retained type but this per se constitutes no part of my present invention. The collar 34 is provided with exterior threads taking into the threaded rear end of the head hub 37. Any suitable means may be employed to lock the collar from accidental unscrewing In either form of the nipple structure it follows that a nipple may be removed from a head at any time directly rearward along the bore 29 even though adjacent cars may be coupled together at the time. Hence, if there should be a leakage at any gasket such fact may be shown and repair may be made without uncoupling the cars. In replacing the nipple with a new gasket attached thereto. the only force required for the operator to exert is enough to overcome the relatively small forre ot the spring 33.

I claim:

1. in an automatic train pipe connector. the combination of coupling head having a bore formed therein. a suitable support {or aid head, a conduit mounted in said bore and provided with a shoulder, said conduit having at all times an unobstructed opening therethrough for the passage of a fluid, a spring surrounding a portion of said c011- duit and bearing against said shoulder, and revolving means engaging the other end of said spring to maintain the spring and con duit in said bore, said means serving also to,

permit instantaneous removal or replacement of said conduit by less than a single turn of said means around their revolving axis while said coupling head remains coupled with a companion head.

2. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of acoupling head having a chamber therein, a support for said head, a conduit mounted in said chamber and provided with an enlarged forward end which extends beyond the coupling face of said head, a spring within said chamber and surrounding said conduit and bearing at one end against said enlarged end, means engaging the other end of said spring to maintain the spring and conduit in said chamber, said means comprising an abutment adapted to be rotated out of engagement with said head by turning it less than one revolution, whereby said conduit may be removed and replaced with respect to said chamber while said head remains coupled to a companion head.

In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling head having a chamber formed therein, which chamber is provided with a shoulder at one end, a support for said head, a conduit mounted in said chamber for reciprocating movement therein, said conduit having an enlarged forward end which extends beyond the coupling face of said head and carries a yieldable gasket, a spring in said chamber and bearing against said enlarged end, and an abutment removably secured to said head for maintaining said spring and conduit in said chamber, said abutment being adapted to co-operate with said spring for the purpose of maintaining its hold upon said head, as well as for the purpose of instantaneous removal while said coupling head remains coupled to a companion head.

4. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling head having a chamber, a support for said head, a conduit mounted in and extending through said chamber for reciprocating movement therein, means to resist such movement of said conduit, and cam actuated means to permit removal and replacement of said conduit with respect to said chamber while said coupling head remains coupled to a companion head.

5. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling head having a chamber formed therein, a conduit mounted in said chamber for reciprocating movement therein, said conduit having its forward end projecting in front of the coupling face of said head and carrying thereat a gasket, a spring surrounding said conduit to resist said reciprocating movement, and an abutment to permit removal of said conduit from said chamber while said head is coupled to a companion head and serving also to compress said spring when said conduit is replaced in said chamber.

6. In an automatic train pipe connecter the combination of a coupling head having an opening therethrough, a support for said head, aconduit mounted in said opening for reciprocating movement therein, said conduit projecting forward of the coupling face of said head and carrying thereat a yieldable gasket, a spring surrounding the conduit to resist said reciprocating movement, and means comprising av bayonet joint for maintaining said spring and conduit in said chamber and for permitting removal and replacement thereof while said coupling head remains coupled to a companion head.

7. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling head having an opening therein, a support for said head, a conduit mounted in said opening for reciprocating movement, a spring in the opening to resist reciprocating movement of the conduit, means for supporting the conduit and spring in said opening, said means being resiliently actuated upon by the spring to maintain their supporting relation 'to said spring and said conduit.

8. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling head having an opening therein, a support for said head, a conduit mounted in said opening for reciprocating movement, a spring in the opening to resist such movement of said conduit, bayonet joint means connected with said head to maintain said conduit and spring in the service position, and means to prevent accidental disconnection of said bayonet joint means from said head.

9. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling head having a plurality of. vertically aligned openings, a conduit mounted in each of said openings for reciprocating movement therein, a spring surrounding each of said conduits for resisting said reciprocating movement, and means co-operating with said springs to maintain said springs and said conduits in said openings and to permit instantaneous removal and replacement of said springs and said conduits with respect to said openings while said coupling head is coupled with a companion coupling head.

10. In an automatic train pipe connecter, the combination of a coupling headhaving a bore formed therein, a suitable support for said head. a conduit mounted in said bore, means for limiting the forward movement of said ('onduit in said bore, a coiled spring nient relative to the head, the reaction of arranged in said chamber around said eonsaid spring serving to maintain said abutduit an abutment adapted to engage the rear nient locked to said head. 10 end of said spring for compressing the In testimony whereof I aflix Iny signasame and forcing said conduit forwardly, ture.

means for i'eazovably locking and abutment to said head by partial rotation of the abut- ALBER' ALCIDE LECLERU. 

